Don't Leave Me This Way
by lissa x suee
Summary: They say all's fair in love and war. That is, until it involves you. Then it's personal.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is an idea that just popped into my head, and wouldn't go away unless I wrote it down. This prologue is extremely short, but that's why it's the prologue, not a chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything This Lullaby.**

_Dear Dexter,_

_I hope your tour's going well! Everyone at Stanford's crazy about Truth Squad. They can't wait until you guys come here!_

_School's been good. Ever since break ended, I've been keeping busy with homework and friends and stuff. Angela says "hi!," by the way._

_Dexter, this is one of the hardest letters I've ever had to write. You're really important to me, and I would never want to do anything to hurt you, but lying to you would hurt worse in the long-run. So, here's the truth: I've met someone else._

_I'm really sorry it had to end this way, but I think it's for the best. You're on tour, and I'm here at Stanford. Our lives are heading in different directions right now, and I think it would be better if we were just friends right now._

_I want you to know that you still have my full support while you follow your dreams. If you're ever in town, let me know._

_Give the guys my regards!_

_Remy_

Dexter laid back on his bed in the bus, pushing his laptop off of him and onto the bed. He had read that email at least a million times since it had come in yesterday. The truth was, San Francisco was the next stop on their tour, and San Francisco was only about half an hour from Stanford. He glanced at the laptop, seeing the email staring back at him. He angrily clicked the "Delete" button, which caused the computer to topple off his bed. He sighed and rolled over, reaching under his pillow and pulling out a small velvet box. He opened it, revealing a simple ring with a silver band and a small diamond. He closed the box and shoved it back under his pillow. Dexter stared out the window as the tour bus drove past the city limits of Hollywood. In approximately six hours, they would be in San Francisco, and he still didn't know if he was ready to face the girl he was in love with yet.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Well, here's another update! Again, it's kinda short, but whatever. I won't have much time this week to update, so I figured I'd do it now! Enjoy!**

"Dexter," Remy said. She was standing on a beach, clad in a flowy white dress, her blonde hair was wavy and blowing in the wind.

Dexter walked closer to her. "Remy, why did you break up with me?"

She frowned. "I would never break up with you. I love you."

Dexter looked confused. "But, the email…"

"I never sent any email," she said, her facials perplexed.

"You said you met someone else."

"Dex," she said, taking his face in her hands. "You're the only one for me. I love you."

Dexter smiled his goofy little smile. "I love you, too."

"Dexter…"

"Yeah," he said, leaning in closer to her.

"Dex, wake up!"

"Wha…?" Remy's face was getting blurrier.

"Dude, wake up before we do something gay!" Lucas said, shaking him awake.

Dexter shook his head, suddenly realizing how close he had been to kissing Lucas. He leaned back, taking in his surroundings. He was still on the tour bus, sleeping in his bed. It was all a dream. He let out a breath, then looked out the window. "Where are we?"

"About an hour outside of San Fran," Lucas said, hopping back onto his bed above Dexter's.

Dexter stood up, nearly missing Lucas's bed as he stood. He held onto ledge's around the bus for dear life, remembering the incident in Dallas. He made his way to the front of the bus, where Ted was eating a bagel. Dexter sat down across from him. "Dude," Ted said with a mouthful of bagel, "you wrk lak deaf."

"Thanks, Ted. I appreciate that."

Ted swallowed. "No problem. Still grieving over the loss of THE Remy Starr?"

Dexter frowned and ran a hand through his hair. "Gee, thanks for bringing that up again. It had only been about five seconds since I last thought about her."

Ted shrugged. "Well, you better man up and grow a pair. We can't have a depressed lead singer on stage."

Dexter rolled his eyes and stood up. "Remind me to come to you whenever I'm having a shitty day."

"Sure thing, buddy!" Ted said with a smile, then took another bite of his bagel.

Dexter wanted to just get off the bus already! He had been cooped up in their for God knows how long, and he needed to talk to people other than Lucas, Ted, and John Miller. He needed to talk to Remy, but that was out of the question now.

He tried to paint a picture in his mind of the guy that Remy had left him for. He would have to be the exact opposite of Dexter, himself, because Dexter was the exact opposite of the guys that Remy usually went for. He thought of the guy as tall and muscular, maybe blonde, probably a surfer, since she was in California, and definitely NOT a musician. He was probably similar to that Paul guy she dated for a little while between her time with Dexter. He walked back over to his bed and laid down again, not having much else to do. He tried to get Remy out of his head, but he knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.


	3. Chapter 2

The Truth Squad tour bus came to a stop in front of The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco. The boys scrambled to get out. Dexter was pushed down the stairs by Lucas, who had downed a liter of Dr. Pepper about an hour ago, then was promptly trampled on by John Miller, whose leg had fallen asleep, then was finally helped up off the ground by Ted. While Lucas was already on his way into the lobby, and John Miller was attempting to walk on his sleeping leg, Ted and Dexter stared at the hotel in front of them. "These hotels just keep getting glitzier and glitzier," Ted said, following Lucas' lead and walking into the hotel. Dexter nodded in agreement, even though Ted wasn't paying attention to him. Dexter stretched his arms over his head, then followed the others in.

Before Dexter could really take a good look at the lobby, their manager, George, shoved a set of keys in their hands. "Dexter and Lucas, room 805. Ted and John Miller, room 807. Go." George then walked out the front door quickly, obviously trying to get away from the impending argument that was about to happen in 3...2...

"Why do I have to room with John Miller? He snores!" Ted whined.

"Because I'm the lead-singer, and I need my beauty sleep," Dexter retorted with a smug look on his face.

"Then why can't Lucas room with him?"

"Dude! I roomed with him in L.A.!" Lucas yelled back at him.

"Guys...I'm standing right here," John Miller interjected.

"Shut up, John Miller!" the other three yelled.

"Look, this is how we're rooming. We can switch it up in Portland, but for right now, we need to stop making a scene in the lobby and go to our rooms. We're professionals. Let's act like it," Dexter said, holding his breath as he waited for the responses from his bandmates.

"Dude. Get over yourself," Ted said, turning on his heel and walking towards the elevators. John Miller gave Dexter an encouraging smile, and Lucas clapped a hand on his shoulder. Dexter shrugged. You couldn't win them all.

After getting everything up to their rooms and showering, the guys headed out to Union Square, which was about a ten minute walk from their hotel. George and their bodyguard, Big Mike, follow closely behind them. Dexter pulled out a camera and started snapping pictures of everything; from the band, to the buildings, to a dog marking his territory on a fire hydrant. When they finally reached Union Square, the guys went nuts. They had a complete movie montage moment, where they tried on lots of clothes, hats, sunglasses, and anything else they could get their hands on. They had an apple pie eating contest at Burger King, and Dexter and Lucas changed all of the computer backgrounds to a picture they took of Ted while he was sleeping on the tour bus, which caused a chase scene up and down flights of stairs and in between disgruntled shoppers. An hour later, they walked out of Borders, ready to head back to the hotel for some video games. Dexter had a few pictures left on his camera, so he was looking through the viewfinder for something to take a picture of. Then, he saw her.

The Remy Starr. Walking down the sidewalk in front of them with two other girls, looking exactly as he remembered her at the airport in New Orleans, if not even more beautiful. Her blonde hair caught in the wind and flew into her face slightly, but she just brushed it off...just like she had brushed him off...She was laughing with the girls, looking as if she didn't have a care in the world. Looking as if she didn't even realize that the guy she had just recently ripped the heart out of was standing a mere fifty feet away from her. Dexter dropped the camera, a resonating "thud" accompanying it. The guys looked at him, then what he was staring at. Their mouths dropped open, and Lucas and Ted immediately grabbed his arms, while John Miller grabbed the forgotten (and slightly dented) camera. The group of four friends and the two older men behind them walked back to the hotel as fast as they could. This was not good. This was really not good.

**XXX**

"Aw, who needs her!" Dexter slurred later that night, after he had consumed a few too many drinks from the mini-bar. "Me, that's who!" he yelled, then thought for a second. "Wait...I meant the other thing. You know...not me." He took another shot of tequila, then started searching through his pockets. He looked at the other guys in the room, rage starting to set in on his features. "Where. Is. My. Phone." He didn't phrase this as a question, more like a demand.

Lucas and John Miller both looked at Ted, who shrugged. "You've had a few too many. You probably just forgot where you put it."

Dexter stumbled over to Ted, his clumsiness heightened from his inebriated state. "Give me my phone, you asswipe. Now."

Ted rolled his eyes. "Sweet talking isn't gonna get you anywhere."

Dexter looked between Ted, Lucas, and John Miller, trying to fight through his clouded thoughts to think of an ingenious plan to get his phone back. Not being able to think of anything, he let out a loud "battle cry," which sounded somewhat like a starving walrus, and tackled John Miller to the ground, who let out a yelp. Dexter managed to wrestle John Miller's phone away from him, and then stumbled out onto the balcony. He dialed a number he could dial in his sleep, let alone when he was just a teeny bit intoxicated. He put the phone up to his ear, getting pissed off at the ringing. He wanted her to answer. Now. Two rings later, he heard her voice. "John Miller? Why are you calling me?"

"It's not John Miller," Dexter slurred.

There was silence on the other end for a while, and Dexter assumed she hung up. Just as he was about to, he heard her speak again. "Dexter. Why are you calling me on John Miller's phone?"

Dexter laughed drunkenly. "Oh, you know, the guys are saying I had a few too many, and they took away my phone. You know, same old, same old."

Remy laughed hesitantly on the other end. "How much _have _you had to drink tonight?"

"Um...I lost count after about...five shots of tequila and some other random stuff from the mini-bar."

"DEXTER, GIVE ME MY PHONE BACK NOW!" Remy heard a struggle on the other end and frowned. She wanted some answers.

"Remy?" she heard Lucas' voice answer eventually.

"Yeah, it's me. What's going on?"

"Oh, uh...well, Dexter stole John Miller's phone because Ted took his, and then when they tried to take John Miller's phone back, Dexter kicked Ted and bit John Miller's arm...and now he's running through the room screaming the George of the Jungle theme song at the top of his lungs..."

"Where are you guys?"

"The Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco."

"Oh...well, I'm in San Francisco too. I think we're only a couple miles from you." She heard silence on the other end. Dead silence. She didn't even hear Dexter's war cries any more. "...Is everything okay?"

"I guess. Dexter just passed out in the middle of the floor."

"I'll be there in ten."


	4. Chapter 3

Half an hour later, there was a loud knock on the door. The three guys flinched, then quickly looked over at their intoxicated friend, who was passed out on his bed, clutching one of the pillows in his arms. Ted stood up and walked over to the door. He opened it a crack, and a fuming blonde burst through the door. "What the HELL is going on here?" she yelled. The guys shushed her, then pointed to the other room where Dexter rolled over, abandoning the pillow. Remy looked at the others, then asked quietly, "Do you guys have another room, or are you all sharing this one?"

"John Miller and I have another room," Ted said. He looked at the other two. "One of us needs to stay here, just in case Dexter of the Jungle gets a second wind."

"Nose goes!" Lucas yelled, touching his nose. Ted touched his nose, as well, and John Miller just looked confused for a second. When the realization hit him, he swore under his breath. Ted gestured the other two out of the room, and they walked into the room next door.

Once in, Lucas and Ted plopped down on the sofa, and Remy took a seat in the nearby armchair. She took a deep breath. "Okay, now what's going on? Why did Dexter drunk-dial me?"

"Dude, you broke his heart," Lucas said.

"And he's been trying to get over you for the last couple days, but then there you are, walking through Union Square and laughing like you didn't even give a shit," Ted added.

Remy wrung out her hands. "It's not what you think..."

"Then what is it?" Ted interjected. "All I know is you sent Dex an email a few days ago, saying 'you met someone else,' and now you're here. In our hotel. Tell me, Remy Starr, why are you here?"

"If you don't mind, I'd rather talk to Dexter about all of this before I talk about it with his friends."

"I'm not so sure he wants to talk to you..." Lucas said.

"He drunk-dialed me, and everyone knows that alcohol brings out your truest self. Therefore, his true self wants to talk to me. And we need to talk."

"You already broke him once. We need him for the concert the day after tomorrow, and I can't have a zombie lead-singer."

"Give me ten minutes with him once he's slept this off. That's all I need."

Lucas and Ted looked at each other, then back at Remy, then nodded. "Ten minutes. If you break him, I will kill you," Ted said seriously.

Remy nodded. "Alright, text me when Dex wakes up, okay?" she stood up and headed towards the door.

"Wait," Ted said, standing up, as well. "Just crash here for the night. I don't want you taking another cab at this hour."

Remy smiled. "Aw, Ted has a heart!"

Lucas laughed and pinched Ted's cheek. Ted slapped Lucas' hand away. "I just know that Dex will slaughter me if anything happens to you."

"So...am I crashing on the sofa in here?"

"No, don't be silly!" Ted answered. "You can take John Miller's bed."


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey guys! Here's a new chapter for you! Just a note: I changed a few things in previous chapters. Mainly just the initial letter, which is now an email since I had no idea how Remy would have known where to send the letter. So...yeah. Check it out if you want. If not, it's all good. :) Enjoy!**

The next morning, Dexter rolled out of bed. Literally. He fell face first onto the floor, letting out a groan. That fall really wasn't doing anything for his hangover. He pushed himself up slowly, afraid that if he stood up too fast, he would end up right where he started. He saw a glass of water and three aspirin on the nightstand. He pushed himself the rest of the way up using said nightstand, and noticed a note next to it. He threw the aspirin in his mouth, chugged some water, and read the note.

_Dexter,_

_This hangover better not fuck up our gig tomorrow._

_-Ted_

Dexter crumpled up the note and tossed it in the trash can, only to have it bounce back out. He hopped in the shower quickly, and once he was clean and dressed, he attempted to wake Lucas up. After fifteen minutes and nothing but a "Go away, Mom, I'll do it later," Dexter decided to give Ted and John Miller a wake up call. He grabbed the spare key to their room and walked next door. When he walked into their room, he was surprised to find John Miller snoring on the sofa. He didn't remember much from last night, but he was pretty sure John Miller was sober while he was still coherent, and that he could have made it the extra few feet to his bed. Deciding it was nothing, he walked into the bedroom area to thank Ted for the lovely note he had left him. He stared at the beds with a confused look on his face, for both beds had a sleeping form in them. He looked over his shoulder at John Miller sound asleep on the sofa, then back at the beds. Before he could make another move, the person in the bed on the right started moving. A girl with blonde hair and the face of Remy Starr pushed the covers down and stretched her arms over her head. Dexter's eyes widened, and the next thing he knew, he was looking at the ceiling. Then, it went dark.

"_Dexter?"_

Dexter blinked a few times. He saw a fuzzy form of Remy standing over him, smiling at him. Dexter frowned. "Go away, Dream Remy."

Dream Remy raised an eyebrow at him. "Dream Remy? What are you talking about? You must have hit your head harder than I thought."

Dexter reached his hand out and lightly slapped her cheek, expecting her to disappear. She didn't. Dexter furrowed his brow, then pulled on her cheek. She slapped his hand away. Dexter's eyes widened as he stared at Real Remy. "Y-you're real?" She nodded. "Well, w-what are you doing here?"

"You drunk-dialed me last night. I came over shortly after, partly because I was worried about you, and partly because I wanted to know why the fuck you drunk-dialed me," she said, her smile being replaced by a smirk.

Dexter blinked a few times. "Doesn't ring a bell."

Remy rolled her eyes, still smirking. "Well, you were pretty out of it. Lucas said something about biting John Miller and the George of the Jungle theme song."

Dexter rubbed his head. "Wow. I really was out of it. I've never even seen George of the Jungle." Remy laughed, and Dexter felt his lips tug up into a smile. "So, when you found out that I wasn't dead, why did you stay?"

Remy shrugged. "It was late, and Ted said he didn't want me taking another cab at that hour, so I stayed the night." She bit her lip. "And I wanted to talk to you first thing this morning."

Dexter pushed himself up slowly, trying to avoid the head-rush he would inevitably get. Once he was sitting up, Remy offered her hand to help him the rest of the way up. He stared at it for a minute, as if it was a rabid dog, then reluctantly took it and stood up. He ran a hand through his hair and looked at Remy, who looked expectantly back at him. He tilted his head towards the door, and she nodded and followed him to his room.

**XXX**

"So...are you gonna start or should I?" Dexter asked, leaning against the railing of the balcony outside his room.

Remy twisted a piece of her hair around her index finger, choosing to look straight in front of her, rather than into the hurt eyes of her ex. "You, probably. I'm sure there's a lot you want to get off your chest."

"No shit, Sherlock," Dexter said bitterly, causing Remy to wince internally. "How could you just break up with me like that, out of the blue? And through a fucking EMAIL? I mean, SERIOUSLY, you KNEW we were going to be here soon. You couldn't have just WAITED to break up with me in PERSON?"

Remy blinked a few times, then let out a sigh. "I know, I'm a coward. I just-"

"You just what, Remy?" Remy could feel Dexter's eyes drilling a hole into her. "You just decided that you didn't want to wait another second to be with this new guy, so you decided to dump me in the quickest, not to mention worst, way possible? I mean, the only way you could have sunk any lower is if you had texted it to me!"

There was a long silence after that, neither of them really wanting to break it. Dexter took a few calming breaths, while Remy wrung out her hands. Finally, Dexter cleared his throat and continued in a much calmer voice. "So, what's this guy look like? Blonde, tan, muscular, typical California guy, right?"

Remy finally looked over at him. "Dex, please. Let me explain-"

"I don't want you to explain. I just wanted to know what he looks like. Just...never mind. I don't know why I wanted to know. I'll just keep picturing you two together, and that'll suck more than you being with a figment of my imagination." Dexter ran a hand through his hair, then looked at the door. "You should probably just go. I'm sure Josh or Jared or Christopher or whatever is missing you." He turned around and started walking towards the door.

"Dex, wait. Please just let me say something."

"Just go," Dexter said, sliding the door open and gesturing for her to go through it. Remy shook her head, and Dexter sighed. He walked through the door and started to slide it closed. Just as it was about to close, Remy yelled one last thing.

"Dexter, I'm pregnant."


End file.
